Chapter 465 Will we still be good brothers in the future?
Not long after Xiyan left, a red shadow flashed at the palace door and Chu Jin walked in.
He looked at the haggard Helian Feng lying on the couch. He was completely different from the handsome, elegant and graceful Crown Prince he once was, and a complicated feeling welled up in his heart.
This pair of good brothers, who used to talk about anything, once read poetry and books together and discussed military strategies in the Prince's Mansion. However, due to misunderstandings and differences in positions, they gradually drifted apart and eventually parted ways.
Seeing you again at this moment seems like a lifetime ago.
Chu Jin looked at Helian Feng's haggard face and called out softly:
"Your Highness."
I still call him by the name I used back then, as if this way I can temporarily return to those carefree times and that pure friendship.
Helian Feng's face froze slightly, and he looked at him with a look of understanding:
"You saved me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he started coughing violently again, which affected the wound in his abdomen and caused cold sweat to seep out of his forehead due to the pain.
A trace of worry flashed across Chu Jin's face. He quickly picked up the cup on the table and handed it to Helian Feng's lips:
"Your Highness, although the poison has been cured, your injuries are too severe. You will not be able to get out of bed for at least ten days or half a month. Please do not get too excited."
Helian Feng drank a few sips of warm water, his breathing gradually calmed down, and he leaned back on the couch, his face still ashen.
"Actually, you shouldn't have saved me. If you died, it would be a relief. Now, living like this is a shame."
Chu Jin felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
Thinking back to the past, he and Helian Feng were close friends and had lived together for several years. They could even sleep side by side late at night and talk about everything. But now, there was such a deep estrangement between them.
He asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, have you ever resented me in your heart?"
A bitter smile appeared on Helian Feng's lips:
"If I say no, would you believe me?"
Chu Jin's hand trembled slightly, and the cup almost slipped from his hand:
"I failed to help you, and instead undermined your plans, indirectly leading to your defeat. You... really don't hate me?"
"A Jin, in fact, since the Yunqiu mutiny, I have been like a walking corpse." Helian Feng closed his eyes, his voice full of fatigue:
"For over a year now, I've been manipulated by my mother and controlled by Xiao Beicheng. In my dreams at midnight, I always miss the days when my father was still alive... and the days when you and Xiyan were both in the mansion. But unfortunately... nothing can go back."
He slowly opened his eyes, a painful struggle flashing in his eyes:
"After my father's death, I have always felt a sense of resentment in my heart. I hate Xiao Nanyan, I hate Xiao Beicheng, and I even... hate Xiyan. However, in the Nanzhao Soul-Locking Forest, Xiao Nanyan saved me, and Xiyan also saved me. I am not a heartless person, so how could I remain unmoved?
However, if we don't attack Yandu, I'm worried that if Xiao Nanyan leads a large army to encircle Chiyu Peak, my mother, Shu'er, and the others will be killed. And I, in my heart, am unwilling to give in... But the development of the situation is no longer under my control.
Helian Feng's voice was filled with regret:
"I was incompetent. I didn't even foresee the vicious intentions of my own mother and Shu'er. I nearly killed several of my brothers and Xiyan. I even caused the soldiers and civilians of Tianqi to suffer in this war for power. The people were destitute and blood flowed like rivers... I regret it now, but it's too late.
The Queen Mother and Shu'er deserve to die, and I, too, deserve to die!"
He looked at Chu Jin and smiled bitterly:
"Ah Jin, on the contrary, you see things more clearly than I do. You let go of the vengeance of your father's murder, thinking of the people and the greater good; you are willing to sacrifice everything for the one you love. You are far more resourceful and courageous than I am, so why should I hate you?"
Chu Jin's grip on the cup suddenly tightened. He looked at the relief and despair in Helian Feng's eyes, his heart filled with mixed emotions. His throat seemed to be blocked by something, and after a long time, he spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Your Highness... don't say that. Everyone has moments of confusion. You're just... trapped by your obsession."
He paused and lowered his voice:
"Let the past be the past. Heal your wounds first. There's still a long way to go, and there will always be a chance to make amends."
Helian Feng just shook his head, said nothing more, closed his eyes, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
The hall fell silent again. Only the wind outside the window was still sobbing softly, telling the past that could not be turned back.
Seeing that Helian Feng closed his eyes and stopped talking, Chu Jin gently placed the cup on the bedside table, turned around and wanted to leave to let him rest.
I had just taken two steps when I heard a very soft call from behind:
"A Jin,"
Chu Jin paused and turned around to see Helian Feng looking at him with his eyes open. Although there was still fatigue in his eyes, he was less depressed than before.
"Will we still be good brothers in the future?"
Chu Jin turned around and came to Helian Feng's bed again, knelt on one knee, and covered his hands outside the quilt with his hands.
“Always.”
Chu Jin's voice was low and firm, with long-suppressed emotions surging in his eyes:
"Actually, I should never have suspected that you would hurt Manluo."
Helian Feng's fingertips trembled violently:
"Thank you for trusting me."
Chu Jin looked up at him with a scorching gaze:
"Your Highness, I've known you since childhood, so I naturally understand you better than anyone else. You've made mistakes before, but they were mostly caused by your mother's instigation and coercion. You're not inherently evil. Back then, you secretly released a loyal son who had been demoted by the Empress, and you secretly provided aid to the people affected by disasters. I remember all of these things."
He paused, his voice softened a bit:
"In my heart, you have always been the gentle and loving Crown Prince."
Helian Feng looked at him, his eyes suddenly warmed.
In the past two years, everyone only saw his paranoia and cruelty, and believed that he killed his father and brother and committed heinous crimes.
Only Chu Jin still remembers what he used to look like and is willing to believe in the kindness in his heart.
"A Jin..."
He opened his mouth, his voice choked with sobs, "I'm sorry for you, and sorry for... so many people."
"Correct your mistakes and repay your debts."
Chu Jin held his hand tightly. "But the word 'brother' is not false at all. When you get better, let's go to the tavern outside the city, order a plate of fennel beans and a pot of Shilixiang, and don't leave until you're drunk, just like before."
Helian Feng looked at the seriousness in his eyes and finally couldn't help but let a tear fall on their clasped hands.
That tear was so hot that it seemed to be able to warm the ice that had accumulated over the years.
He nodded vigorously, a tearful smile appeared on his lips:
"Okay...I won't go home until I'm drunk."
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